Bicycle repair and service stand



July 12, 1960 J. M. woLF 2,944,811

A BICYCLE REPAIR AND SERVICE sIANn I Filed July s, 1959` Ja'se'h M. wolf F I g4. '2 v p INVENTOR.

Agent 2,944,811v nrcYc'LE REPAIR AND sERvrcnsrAND aose'ph Miami Wolf, 2509 Reed sf., Erie, Pa.

vFiletlruly 9, 1 959, ser. No. 825,909 if' 2 claims. (c1. 26a-#145) Myl invention relates toa stand which securely supports a bicycle in an uprightV position during repair and servicing, land which permits easy wheel removal.

Bicycles of present day design are commonly equipped with motors and with various laccessories attached to the handle bars and upperframework. 'Ihis makes it desirable to service and repair bicycles in an upright position. Too, it is `usually more convenient as well as precise to perform thesevoperations with the bicycle in i' its regular operating position,

Heretofore, there have been available lvarious stands and racks for supporting and holding bicycles. None of these, however, has proven to be completely satisfacf tory. Those that require inverting the `bicycle are not at all usable if the'bicyclehas Va motor or even if it has the simplest accessoriesrnounted onv the handle bars. Too, this type of stand places the bicycle in an'unnatural position thereby increasing the diiculty of repairing or servicing. Most upright stands heretofore available generally have relied upon clamping the frame and have been unsteady when raised to a convenient lworking height. Furthermore, wheel removal `from bicycles mounted on heretofore available upright stands has been diiiicult or even impossible with some models. Also, complete readjustment is usually required to accommodate a bicycle of only slightly different size or when changing from a mans bicycle to a womans bicycle of even the same size.

An object of my invention is -to provide a novel stand for securely holding a bicycle in an upright positionduring repair and servicing. A further object is -to provide such a stand that permits easy removal of one or the other of the bicycles wheels with no loss in stability. A still further object is to provide such a stand that may easily be adjusted to accommodate any size bicycle. Other objects include the provision of a stand of the character described that is relatively easy to construct and that is sturdy and dependable when in use.

height, of course, isV not critical. Mounted on this base are two cradles for receiving and securing one or the' other of the bicycles wheels and a center support that supports the bicycle at the pedal crank housing. Each cradle is provided with a clamp that may be used to hold down a wheel. The cradle assemblies are secured to the base by bolts that are easily loosened, if need be, to permit Vadjusting the position of the cradles to accommodate bicycles of various sizes. Small variations in `size are accommodated without need of adjustment, however. The center support is cap-able of SeVeraIinches of longitudinal movement without aecting its ability to support a bicycle securely. The height of the center support is easily adjusted by the simple device of a combination bearing and Yadjusting'spike inserted through the support.

My invention will be more fully understoodl by reference to the following detailed description andV attached drawings. In the drawings: f

2,944,311' 1 Patented m12. 1960 i' Figurefl isla side elevation of a preferred embodimentof my repair and service stand, depicting a bicycle in po-y sition for service or repair, Figure 2 is a sectional view, in part, taken -along the line 2 2 of `vFigure 1v looking in the direction of the arrows, and v Figure 3 is a sectional view, in part, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. V...The bicycle indicated in Figure 1 is of ordinary der sign, -a mans bicycle in this case, although the stand works equally well and in-similar fashion with ladies' bicycles. .As shown, the front wheel is vsecured in its cradle and the rear Wheel is elevated.

The bicycle repair and service stand is made up of a base 11 suitably having legs such as those at i12 in order to. raise the whole up to a convenient working height.: In order to provide a convenient working surface the base preferably is provided with a bead 13 at the sides and ends to prevent tools and small parts falling from` the working surface ofthe baserthis feature lis not necessary, of course, to the working of myinvention. Cradles 14 and 15 are slidably mounted at the forward and back. end respectively of the base. ,1=1. r .-@Eachjofthe cradles is made up 'of alpair` of oppositely inclined wedges having upper grooved surfaces, indicated as 16 and 17 on cradle 14and v18 and 1'9lon cradle 15,.- The angle of inclina.

tion of the upper surface of the wedges is suitably about 207-30" Vwith the horizontal; VThe'cross'sectional outline of each surface 16-419 is preferably elliptical (as depicted in Figure 2) although the outline may also suitably be V-shaped orV U-shaped. Cradles 14 and 15 are adapted to receive the tiresof either the front or rear wheel 20 or 21 of afbicy'cle 'supported by my s tand. Al-` though the bicycle stand depicted and described utilizes two cradles for greater convenience, the stand is operable with but one cradle.

The center support 22 is pivotally mounted on bearing blocks 23 by pin 24 passed through'one of the trans verse'holes Z5. The center support is arranged to receive the crank housing 26 of the bicycle. Crank housingV 26 rests in depression 27 in the upper end of the support 22. A lgroove 28 is provided in depression 27 -to accommodate -the seam weld that is present on the Y lto any desired height by placing the pin 24 in the proper hole 25 inthe support. The center support 22 is relatively free to pivot about the pin Z4; considerable movement forward and backward is permitted to accommodate bicycles of various sizes without requiring relocating the cradles. A limit to the forward and backward motion of the support is effected when the support bears against the ends 30 of slot 32. With a bicycle in position, however, the secure clamping of one of the wheels in its cradle Vcauses the whole assembly to be firmly positioned and there is no tendency for movement'of center support 22 even though it may not be bearing on an end of the slot.

Clamps 33 .and 34 are provided to hold the front and rear bicycle wheels firmly in their respectivecradles. The

. slot 37 to constrain lateral movement of the cradle. Bolt `38 passes through lower clamping bar 39 and cradle base 3 35 vand depends through groove 37. Tightening of Wing nut 40 rmly locks the cradle assembly in position. As bolts 41 and 42 are ltightened, upper clamping bar 43 presses the inner rim of the bicycle wheel holding it rmly; vA pad 44 of rubber or similar material protects the finish' of the wheel rim. The construction of clamp 34 is identical to that ofY clamp 33. It is contemplated that the clamping bars and bolts of either or both of these clamps can be replaced by a loop of flexible materiaL such as belting, secured by a buckley or the like.

In positioning a bicycle on the stand lthe center post preferably is adjusted so that the tires of both front and rear wheels appear to clear the cradles by `about one inch. Then as one or the other ofthe wheels is lowered into its cradle and secured therein,v the opposite `wheel isl elevated several inches above its cradle and 4free of hindrance. If it is desired to work on ythe rear wheel 21, for example, the front wheel Z -is lowered into cradle 14Vand clamp 33 is fastened securely. This raises the rear portion of the bicycle so that wheel Z1 clears its cradle 15 by kseveral inches. This permits free rotation of the rear wheel or even its complete removal if desired. Likewise the motor, theV pedal crank, the chain drive, gear-shifting mechanism, brakes, etc. are free to operate normally. The bicycle itself is securely and rmly held by the single clamp and cradle and center support post.

What I claim is as follows: Y 1. A bicycle repair and service stand comprising an elongated base; a first cradle mounted on said base and positioned -at one end thereof; a second cradle mounted on said base and positioned at the opposite end thereof; each of said cradles comprising a cradle base, a pair of oppostely inclined wedges having grooved upper surfaces, said Wedges mounted on said cradle base, and clamping means combined with each of said cradles for securing a wheel of a bicycle within the cradle and po- Sitioned in the grooved upper surfaces of said wedges;

4 Y. a substantially upright center support adapted at its upper end to receive and support the crank housing of a bicycle, said support pivotably mounted on said base at a point intermediate the ends of said base.

2. A bicycle repair and service stand comprising an elongated base; a rst cradle slidably mounted on said base and positioned at one end thereof; a second cradle slidably mounted on said ibase and positioned at the opposite end thereof; each of said cradles comprising a cradle base, a pair of oppositelyvinclinedwedges having grooved upper surfaces with substantially elliptical cross section, said wedges mounted onsaid cradle baise; a clamp combined with each of said cradles; said clamp comprising an axed lower clamping bar mounted on said cradle base, a movable upper clamping bar, bolts positioned through the extremities of said bars, said bolts adapted to be tightened to cause said upperjand lower clamping b-ars to constrain` that portion of va'bicycle wheel positioned therebetween; a substantially upright center support adapted at its upper end to receive and supportv the crankphousing of a bicycle; a pair of fingers aixed to the upper end of said support, said fingers adapted to restrain lateralmovement of the lower frame member of a bicycle in position on said stand; a plurality of transverse holes positioned at spaced intervals within said support; a pin adapted to be positioned within one of said holes and to bear on blocks mounted on said base at a point intermediate the ends of said base.

.References Citedin the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

